Posts Tagged ‘violence’

Young Jewish kindergarten children traveling on the bus Sunday afternoon from the Antwerp Hayder school on their bus were attacked Sunday by a gang of Muslim teenagers, according to Jewish media in Belgium.

According to a security source quoted by the Coordination Forum for Countering Antisemitism (CFCA), the children were returning from a swimming pool at the time of the attack. The driver stopped the bus and realized that the Muslim attackers were youths who lived near the swimming pool.

The gang surrounded the bus and started hurling rocks at the vehicle and its small passengers, according to the report. None of the children, about five years old and members of the Orthodox Jewish community, were physically injured in the attack.

Police opened an investigation after the teacher filed a complaint. Security personnel arrived at the scene and collected surveillance footage from the area in order to identify the attackers. No arrests have been made thus far.

Just a few weeks ago, four people were killed in a terrorist attack on the Jewish Museum in Brussels. Belgian officials have yet to decide if they will assist the museum with upgraded security for the facility in the wake of the attack.

Six Arab protesters were allegedly arrested Tuesday on the Temple Mount in an unusual move in the Old City of Jerusalem after they harassed Jews by chanting slogans at those who were touring the site.

Israel Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told The Jewish Press at midday that all six male youths who were involved in the incident were taken into custody by officers from the David District “for attempting to disturb visits taking place.” He added that “visits on the Temple Mount are continuing regularly.” No entry restrictions were deemed necessary, he said.

Generally police respond to such incitement by removing all tourists and closing the site to all visitors except Muslim women of all ages, and Muslim men with Israeli identity cards, age 50 and up. Jews are also arrested for even moving their lips when touring the Temple Mount, in fear they may be “praying” on the site.

Earlier this week two Knesset members announced they plan to propose a bill that for the first time would allow Jews to pray on the Temple Mount, using religious items such as a tallit (prayer shawl), tefillin (phylacteries) and a siddur (prayer book). The lawmakers did not tell Ynet, which published the report,when the draft of the controversial measure would be brought to the floor for a vote.

At present the Muslim Waqf Authority controls the Temple Mount site in tandem with the Jordanian government, under an agreement with the State of Israel. The site is located at the heart of the conflict between the Palestinian Authority and Israel; the PA insists that Israel hand over the Old City and a significant part of its capital city, Jerusalem, so it can create a new Arab country within Israel’s borders, using the Jerusalem piece as the capital for its new state, “Palestine.” Israel is expected to hand over all of its own Jewish holy places as part of that deal.

The Temple Mount, site of the “holy of holies” located within the two ancient Holy Temples in the Jewish faith, is the most sacred place on earth in the Jewish religion.

It is the third holiest site in Islam, and the place on which two mosques are built – the smaller Dome of the Rock, and the large Al Aqsa Mosque, wherein on most Fridays an imam delivers a fiery anti-Israel sermon urging followers to destroy the Jewish State.

Arab governments around the world use the site as an incitement tool with which to inflame passions and rally local Arabs against the state.

In the hours before dawn on Wednesday, Israel Police awakened and arrested an eight-month pregnant woman in Yitzhar on suspicion of incitement to violence against security forces.

The woman, age 22, had allegedly advocated throwing rocks at Jews “even if the rock causes the death of a soldier” during discussions in an online Yitzhar residents’ email forum called “Yitzharniks.”

A second, 17-year-old resident also commented there is “no halachic problem in killing a soldier during a nighttime eviction” since according to halacha (Jewish law) one may kill anyone breaking and entering, thus posing a possible threat to life.

The conversation containing the incriminating comments was apparently forwarded to police and IDF Central Command by one of the participants, according to a report published by the Hebrew daily Yediot Acharanot.

The newspaper also interviewed the young woman’s mother, who commented, “The young generation is tired of walking around crouched and afraid. My daughter told me in conversation that just like Arab women walk around freely in Israel, there’s no reason that a Jewish women shouldn’t be able to as well… My daughter isn’t stupid. She’ll take responsibility for what she wrote even if she’s wrong.”

The opinion is not unanimous, however, despite a violent incident last month in which residents expressed anger at the demolition of buildings near the outskirts of the Jewish community, located in Samaria (Shomron).

“We have denounced this kind of talk in the past and will do so in future as well,” Yitzhar community spokesperson Ezri Tuvi told media in a statement. “This involves a minor and a woman whose emotions caused their tongues to slip and who already retracted their words.

“On the other hand, we demand the media fully denounce all talk of violence and incitement to hatred and physical harm against the settler public.”

Leftist Yesh Atid chairman and Finance Minister Yair Lapid responded that “Words easily turn into deeds. Some of Yitzhar’s residents have already proven that they have no limits or red lines. A threat to harm IDF soldiers is an action against the state’s sovereignty and against a hallowed basic value of the State of Israel.”

Israel Police closed access to the Temple Mount to Jews and other non-Muslims on Thursday due to Arab violence a day earlier, and a resulting threat to safety that might follow.

This, on the day that tens of thousands of Jews gathered below at the Western Wall plaza in the Old City of Jerusalem for the traditional Birkat Kohanim – the priestly blessing from Jerusalem. The benediction is pronounced during the morning service on the festivals of Passover and Sukkot.

The decision to close the site was made by security personnel following Arab violence at the Temple Mount on Wednesday. One police officer was wounded, as were 24 others. One of the wounded was listed in serious condition, and 15 sustained moderate injuries.

Nearly 100 young Arab rioters clashed with police in fierce battles at the holy site, hurling large rocks they have stockpiled in large caches at the Al Aqsa Mosque, where they barricaded themselves for protection.

The rioters also hurled firecrackers at the police from inside the Islamic house of worship, as security personnel used stun grenades and tear gas to force the mob further into the mosque.

The Arab strategy – designed to prevent Jews from ascending to the Temple Mount for any length of time — is very smart, taking advantage of the Israeli government policy of not allowing police to enter the mosque. The site itself is administered by the Islamic Waqf Authority; at this point, Israel has essentially ceded control to Arab Muslim officials.

Six Arab youths were reportedly arrested during the night and early Thursday morning in connection with the disturbances.

Ultimately, Israeli security officials told Channel 2 news on Wednesday they will have to force their way into the mosque to take away the caches of stone weapons, which are just as lethal as any bullet when properly aimed and hurled.

It is important to realize that the huge piles of rocks and slabs of stone with which the young terrorists are attacking Israeli security personnel, tourists and other visitors to the site, are being stockpiled with the knowledge and consent of the Islamic clerics in charge of the mosque. Those clerics — and their actions — are fully backed and supported by the Arab leaders in the region, including King Abdullah II, the Hashemite monarch of Jordan.

Leaders of the community of Yitzhar, in northern Samaria, finally have come out with an appeal to its youth to stop violence against the IDF.

Dozens of attacks against IDF vehicle and bases have taken place throughout Judea and Samaria over the past two years, many of them allegedly caused by a band of hooligans from Yitzhar.

Last week, a Yitzhar teenager allegedly slashed the tires of an IDF commander’s vehicle, apparently in revenge for the government-ordered demolition of a home. Following more demolitions earlier this week, dozens of residents, some of them grown men, went on a rampage. They threw rocks at police, injuring several of them, and ransacked an IDF post manned by reservists who were stationed to defend Yitzhar from Arab terrorists. For their trouble, the soldiers’ personal and army equipment was trashed.

Two days later, Yitzhar leaders decided to announce they are opposed to violence, but their calls were limited to attacks against the IDF. No mention was made of “price tag” attacks against Arabs through collective punishment.

The leaders also explained that they understand why the vandals take action. Indeed, everyone is frustrated by the government’s demolitions of homes, a policy that the leaders called an attempt to eliminate Yitzhar.”

But they hastily added that the explanation was not intended to justify the violence.

Communities in Judea and Samaria, and the umbrella Council of Jewish Communities in Judea and Samaria known as Yesha, always have had a problem distinguishing good settlers from bad settlers.

In the rare instance when the leaders, and once or twice even rabbis, condemn violence, it always includes a “but.”A letter from Yitzhar leaders stated that the violence “produces a very negative response’ and gives Yitzhar a public black eye.

The message is that violence is wrong because it damages the reputation of Yesha.

There is not one sentence in the letter that condemns violence against Arabs.

The letter states, in part, that “recent incidents of violence against the IDF…are contrary to the polices of residents and leaders” of Yitzhar and also against the rabbi of the community.

For the past several months, residents of Beit El and other Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria have been living with a wave of increased Palestinian Authority Arab terrorism.

Road terror attacks have included near-daily rock attacks on the roads, including Highway 60, the main artery that runs from the north in Samaria all the way south through Jerusalem and down through Judea to the Negev.

The residents of Beit El, north of Jerusalem, have been living with an especially intense wave of violence emanating from the nearby the Arab village of Jeelazun.

An IDF army base is located right on site at the entrance of the community, however, and soldiers guard the town around the clock – as other security teams both civil and military do in every other settlement throughout Judea and Samaria. The arrangement works for both the residents of Beit El and for the soldiers, who are often tasked with carrying out searches for fugitives in Jeelazun, a hotbed of terrorism.

Nearly as complicated, Beit El is also located right next door to the Palestinian Authority capital of Ramallah.

At least 19 policemen and protesters were killed and dozens were injured in violent clashes Tuesday before police began an assault on the main protest camp in Kiev where demonstrators have been deployed since November.

More than seven of those killed were policemen, and well-trained demonstrators used rocks and firebombs to beat back police attempts to disperse them.

President Viktor Yanukovych, who has refused demands to resign despite charges of blocking reforms, and authorities shut down Kiev’s metro to prevent possible attacks by protesters.

The violence has spread to cities outside of Kiev and is continuing into the middle of the night.